February 04, 2011

Jeffrey

Jeffrey, age 4
Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1977)

I am on the right, like you couldn't guess, with Christian, my younger brother. At age 6, I knew that splashing around the backyard inflatable pool was better with disco music. So I had Mom play disco tunes out of the tinny little mono radio. I liked it so loud that it nearly burst the speaker. Disco dancing in the pool involved flailing my arms around and splashing my completely resigned younger brother.

"Esther Williams, eat your heart out!"
You might think growing up Southern Baptist in the deep South was a recipe for disaster, but my parents showed me so much love (and demonstrated acceptance of individuality), that I never felt bad about being different.

I had a crush on Todd, a counselor at Baptist Bible camp the same summer this picture was taken. I remember needing a great deal of time and attention from him in the pool at camp. I even "accidentally" swam into him.

Gay/Les/Queer/Bi kids should know that the very stuff that makes life tortuous as a kid, makes life delicious as an adult.

As Oscar Wilde reminds us:
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

Jeffrey's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Tom Selleck ("Magnum, P.I.")
______________________________________________________
Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season Oscar Wilde Richard Simmons - Disco Sweat TCM Spotlight - Esther Williams, Vol. 1 (Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter / Dangerous When Wet)

2 comments:

Rosaire Daigle said...

This is such a simple, yet brilliant idea. Hopefully, this may get some people thinking and reduce prejudice that is born of ignorance. Strange how nobody asks me when I decided to be straight. Good job.

Anonymous said...

I am still in love with Tom Selleck! I know a few straight men that are in awe of those legs and mustache!